Bla-Bla

Even in this inaugural issue, the members of the collective highlight the distinctive nature of their work: prolific writing, detachment, humor, and individual freedom within shared creative frameworks.

Bla-Bla is the sequel to Aquarius, a mosaic of solos and duets created while the principal dancers of the Groupe Lolita were performing at the Centre chorégraphique national de Caen/Quentin Rouillier. It was there that they decided, inspired by the tremendous creative energy of the early 1980s, to give their dances a space for freedom. In the summer of 1981, an invitation from the Festival de Arte da Bahia, followed by a tour across Brazil, marked the success of these early performances and sealed a partnership that would last 10 years.

Bla-Bla was founded in Paris at Théâtre18 in January 1982, where the Groupe Lolita took shape as an interdisciplinary and multicultural collective. Although collective working methods were overlooked, if not disparaged, by dance historians and institutions, they were commonplace in those years and, for half of the collective’s members, the logical continuation of their studies with Alwin Nikolais at the CNDC in Angers.

Bla-Bla is a choreographic and musical patchwork; each piece is created independently, and it is only once they have been written that they are linked together and conceived as a whole. Autobiographical solos and duets evoking friendships or romantic relationships oscillate between lightheartedness and gravity, alternating or blending together; the structure and sets of the show change with every performance, like a deck of cards that is shuffled endlessly: a beach, a world of household appliances, a market, a bedroom.

The concept of the “character”—the fundamental building block of choreographic composition—makes its debut in these early works and remains a constant throughout the group’s oeuvre; through this choice, they make a clear break with Nikolais’ abstract body while retaining, at their core, the concepts of form, space, time, and motion.

In terms of lighting, the use of mobile light sources manipulated by the dancers and the projections of painted and textured slides—whether used as reflections or as part of the stage design—highlight the importance of the visual artistry.

Performers: Thierry Azam, Marcia Barcellos, Philippe Chevalier, Catherine Langlade, Daria Elies, Alain Michon, Dominique Rebaud, Arnaud Sauer, Santiago Sempere, Eric Wurtz.

With music by Pat Metheny, Ravel, Pygmy Songs, Traditional Basque songs, Franz Schubert, Cathy Berberian, Jeanne Moreau, Milton Nascimento…

Firstly performed from 12 to 24 January 1982 at the Théâtre 18 – Paris ; Tour in France : Bezons, Marly-le-Roi, Toulouse, Festival de Perpignan, Auch, Rouen.

Production: Théâtre 18, Groupe Lolita